UFC 139 Fight Card: What a Win Would Mean for Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva heads into UFC 139 with his reputation and health on the line. Nonetheless, a win would do wonders for the once feared brutal assassin.

Silva the former Pride champion, former revered phenom is on his last legs.

Well that’s according to what the MMA world has seen of late.

Decimating knockouts at the hands of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, Dan “H-Bomb” Henderson, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and most recently Chris “The Crippler” Leben has done nothing but fuel debate after debate that The Axe Murderer is on his way out.

All that can change at UFC 139.

All that can change with one swipe of the Axe, The Axe Murderer was so intent on wielding via his fists with devastating consequences.

All that can change if Silva comes to the Octagon with a game plan and not the one-dimensional strategy we have seen of late.

At present, Silva is a fighter who seems to have fallen by the wayside whilst his contemporaries have left him behind and evolved with the sport.

For the diehard Silva fans and for the never say die Pride fans, a win for Silva would be akin to heaven on earth, even if for one night only.

 Though, standing in the way of Silva’s redemption is actor and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le.

“The Human Highlight Reel” is a dangerous opponent for anyone in the middleweight division—age and level of competition aside.

He’s one of the top kickboxers in all of MMA and can wreak havoc with his kicking and striking prowess.

Now if Silva has changed up whatever has blighted his career thus far, and if the MMA gods are looking down on him as well, there’s a chance he might pull it off.

A knockout would be great, but a decision win would suffice just the same.

A win would give Silva his confidence back—any fighter of his stature coming off six losses, (four via violent KO) in his last eight bouts is bound to be suffering from a humongous lack of self-belief.

For Silva, it would also mean relevancy in the middleweight division and MMA as a whole.

Finally, a win for Silva would put him a position to vie for a spot in the upper-echelon middleweight assemblage, and maybe even title to contendership.

A win at UFC 139 isn’t a necessity—it’s a prerequisite for The Axe Murderer.

All his fans ask, is that he gives a good account of himself, but a little bit of Octagon savvy wouldn’t go amiss either.